Google taunts Nokia engineers facing imminent layoffs

OK, Google, we get it: Nokia is phasing out Symbian for Windows Phone 7 instead of Android, and you don’t approve. But you could at least exercise a little class and restraint as you let the Twitter taunts fly at your already staggering opponents — not to mention Nokia employees who are on the brink of losing their jobs. After all, you’ve already engaged in one bout of pointless bickering this month. Isn’t that enough?

Yesterday, it was your vice president of engineering Vic Gundotra proclaiming, via Twitter, “Two turkeys don’t make an eagle.” Yes, you were just parroting (pun intended) what Nokia’s previous executive vice president Anssi Vanjoki said when BenQ bought Siemens’s handset business to take on Nokia, back in 2005. Have you been holding that quote in a file marked “Z for Zinger” to hurl at Nokia at just the right moment?

Your most recent tweet taunt, however, is more disappointing. Nokia has admitted that thousands of layoffs are forthcoming as the Finnish company dumps Symbian for Windows Phone 7. That means the livelihoods of plenty of good men and women are in jeopardy. Your response, again via Twitter? “Any Nokia software engineers need a job? We’re hiring: www.google.com/jobs,” compliments of Google EMEA recruiter Aidan Biggins.

Yes, there likely are some Nokia engineers who will be looking for employment once they receive pink slips at their embattled company. That’s very nice of you to be concerned and helpful. Yet according to your job postings, you have (at the time of writing) 17 openings in Finland — 6 are sales positions, 1 is for marketing, and none are for software engineers. Was this just a well-intentioned but poorly researched invitation? Or more of a cute joke? Haha! Won’t they be surprised when they go look at those postings?

Really, Google, I know you advocate free and open communication, and perhaps your employees’ tweets don’t necessarily reflect the sentiments of your company as a whole. But maybe a little bit of training in sensitivity and Twitter decorum is in order, unless you want to garner the reputation of a high school bully who mocks the uncool kids who didn’t find prom dates — or teachers who are being let go because of budget cuts.

This story, “Google taunts Nokia engineers facing imminent layoffs,” was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Get the first word on what the important tech news really means with the InfoWorld Tech Watch blog. For the latest business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.